Cromwell worried aquifer may be harmed

CROMWELL -- A number of residents are concerned that a new high density commercial development just over the Rocky Hill border may harm the Cromwell Aquifer Zone, which supplies much of the town's drinking water.

JIM HICKEY

Published 12:00 am, Friday, September 27, 2002

A large portion of the aquifer zone is located within 78 acres owned by the town of Rocky Hill, east of Main Street and south of Old Forge Road. The site has already generated a great deal of controversy in Rocky Hill, because the town has allowed the site to be mined for sand and gravel over the past 20-plus years.

Rocky Hill officials are considering selling the property to a developer, and it could be turned into either a high density commercial development or an industrial complex. Future development could mean additional sand and gravel excavation, which has a number of Cromwell residents worried that the town's drinking water could be polluted.

"The question is, how will this effect Cromwell's aquifer. Additional excavation might create a problem," said Glenwood Terrace resident Richard Coughlin. "I'm no expert, but I have to question what will happen to the aquifer if you take off 40 feet of sand and gravel that now filters the groundwater."

Coughlin appeared before the Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this week asking that the commission look into what can be done to protect the aquifer, and has also met with First Selectman Stanley Terry Jr. Terry on Thursday confirmed that he had already contacted the Water Quality Division of the State Department of Health, and had asked Rocky Hill officials what might happen on the property.

"We want to find out about the history of this land, to make sure that there wasn't something like an industrial dumping zone there," said Terry. "At this point, we don't believe there are any problems with the property, but we want to gather as much information as possible."

Rocky Hill does not get its water from the same aquifer. Instead, the town gets its water from the Metropolitan District Commission.

According to Town Planner Craig Minor, the Department of Environmental Protection has been working on a set of model regulations for aquifer protection since the late 1980s, but has yet to finalize any regulations. As a result, officials here may have no say in what happens to the aquifer, largely because it is located over the town line.

"As of right now, a town cannot be forced to protect an aquifer. The regulations aren't in place there," said Minor.

A number of Cromwell residents opposed to sand and gravel excavation here in town have already voiced concerns about similar projects in Rocky Hill.

Many of those residents are members of the group Save the Neighborhood, which is opposed to Millane Nursery's plans to excavate as much as 250,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel from a 54-acre site between Main Street and Field Road, not far from the Rocky Hill site.

Save the Neighborhood members are concerned about safety, dust, and noise associated with not just Millane's proposal, but future sand and gravel projects as well. In early June, the group submitted its proposal for a zoning amendment to prevent sand and gravel excavation in all residential areas of town. The amendment was voted down earlier this month, however, when it failed to receive a majority approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission.

The Save the Neighborhood group is now preparing to fight Millane Nurseries' proposal when it goes before the Planning and Zoning Commission in November. In the meantime, officials here are awaiting information about what might take place across the border, and what can be done to protect the town aquifer.